Rail-joint.



.G. EDICK.

RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED 1AII.25. l9l5.

1,155,903; Patented Oct. 5,- 191 5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. EDICK.

RAI L JOINT. APPLICATION FILED lAN.25. I915.

- Patented Oct; '5, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Tig.6.

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ears r n'r QFFTQE- GEORGE 'EDICK, OF ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented @ct. 5,1915

Application filed January 25. 1915. Serial No. 4,371.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GEORGE EDIQK, a c1t1-querque, in the .-county of Bernalillo and Statev of New Mexico, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements'in safety rail joints, andthe primary object of the invention is to simplify and improve theconstruction of rail joints upon which I received Letters Patent of theUnited States No. 1,109,407, granted me September 1, 1914.

A further'object of the invention is to provide a simple, comparativelycheap and thoroughly effective means for connecting the meeting ends oftwo rails, wherein the employment of nuts and bolts or analogous deviceswhich are liable to become loosened under the constant strain to whichthe jointis subjected, will be dispensed with and positive holding meansof a simple construction substituted therefor.

A stillfurther object of the invention is to construct a rail'having theunderface of its head formed with reverse tapering channels which areadaptedto receiye the beveled edges of a rail joint andan angle bar.associated with the chair, spring means being employed for securing theangle bar upon the chair and both the chair and angle bar connected tothe rails, and whereby the heads of the rails will be relieved fromunnecessary strain and a lateral movement of either of the chair membersor angle bar effectively prevented.

It is a still further object ofthe invention to provide a rail jointwherein the parts may be easily and quickly assembled to secure themeeting ends of the rails without necessitating the employment ofartisans especially skilled or trained for such a pur-' tion, partly insection. illustrating a rail oint constructed in accordance with thepresent nvention showing the means whereby the spring securing-ineinberis actuated,

and held in inoperative position to permit of the assemblage of theparts of the joint,

Fig. 2 is a similar view but illustrating the I 55 of Fig. 2, Fig. 6 isa sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. at, and Fig. 7 is a detailperspective view of a portion of the removable side plate for the chair.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention 1-1 designates tworailway rails which are generally of the ordinary c0nstruction, butwhich havethe under-faces of their heads incut or channeled toward theirwebs, as 'at 2. The webs of the rails are provided adjacent their endswith the usual bolt openings 3.

The numeral 4 designates a rail chair which has one of its longitudinaledges provided with a vertically straight flange 5 and its opposite edgeformed with an angular flange *6, the said angular flange having'itsupper edge beveled to be received in the channels upon one side of therail and the vertical plate of the angular flange 6 is formed withoutwardly projecting studs 7 which are adapted to be received in thebolt openings 3 in the webs of the rails. The said vertical plate of theflange 6 is preferably formed with a central elongated recess ordepression to receive a spring bond 8 to electrically connect the railends. The base 9 of the chair iris provided with a longitudinaldepression or channel 10, the outer longitudinal wall of which beingarranged flush with the inner vertical face of the from its ends withsubstantially bavonetshaped slots 1111. and the vertical inner faceofthe flange 5 is provided with depressions 1212 which communicate withthe outer enlarged portions of the said bayonet slots. The depressionsopen to the upper edge of the flange 5, and while their inner transversewalls may be substantially vertically straight their outer transversewalls are inclined'upwardly and outwardly, as indicated by the numerals1313.

The numeral 15 designates a removable angle bar or side member. Themember 15 base 14 as well as its extension 16 is adapted to be receivedwithin thechannel 10, the inner edge ofthe base contacting with theinner and longitudinally straight wall of the channel, while the outeredge or face 18 engages with the outer and beveled wall of said channel10. It is, of course, to be.understood that the member 18 is insertedlongitudinally from the widened end of the chanlength-to permit of itsangular ends being nel 10 to its proper position upon the chair and alsothat the base 14 covers the outer inwardly extending openings as well asthe longitudinal openings of the bayonet slots which communicate withthe channel of the chair, and further that the teeth 17 are arrangedflush with the upper face of the base 9 outward of the channel 10.

The numeral 19 designates a locking member for the joint, the same beingconstructed of spring material and comprising an elongated bodyportion'20, having its ends curved angularly in an upward direction, asindicated by the'numerals 21, and the eX- tremities of the said ends arebent laterally at a right angle to the member 19, and the saidextremities 22 may be diamond-shaped in cross section or otherwisehaving their lower or under-faces provided with what I will term teeth.The member 19 is of a received withinthe outer enlarged portions of thebayonet slots 11, while the inclined ends 21 will be received within theelongated portions of the said slot.

The; teeth of the angular ends are adapted to be engaged between theteeth 17 ofthe angle bar 15 and so retain the said angle bar againstlongitudinal movement in either direction. The angular ends 21 are alsoreceived within the depression 12- 12 in the vertical flange 5 and thewedge plate 14 confines the same Within the depressed portions orpockets provided withthe mentioned angular walls 13I3.

It will, of course, be apparent that the angle bar cannot be easilyforced against the sides of the rails'when the ends of the spring member19 exert a full tension in a downward direction toward the face of thechair and to provide for this I employ a suitable instrument, indicatedgenerally by the numeral 23. This instrument comprises a body portionhaving one of its ends formed with a hook 24. The body is hollow orslotted and at the opposite end thereof is arranged the body of aslidable hook 25. This hook 25 has its free end loosely connected with alever 26, the said lever being pivoted, as at 27, between the sides ofthe slotted or hollow body. The lever is provided with a pivothook-shaped catch member 28 which is adapted to engage with a stud 29arranged between the plates con'lprising the hollow body disposed abovethe movable hook at one end of said body. When the hooks are broughtinto engagement with the toothed angular portions of the securing member19 the lever is swung upon its'pivot to draw the body of the slidablehook within the body of the instrument. 'lhereafter, the hook catch 28is swung to engage with the stud 29, thus springing the ends of the seeming member toward each other, and as a consequence causing the body 20thereof to curve so that theengaging or toothed ends of the same maybemoved above the upper edge of the flange 5 to permit of the free slidingof the angle bar 15 between the flange 5 and into engagement with thesides of the rail. The upper edge of the vertical plate of the angle baris beveled,as at 30, so that the same will be received within thechannels 2 of the rails 1 in the underfaces of the heads'of the railswith which the. said angle bar engages.

From the above description, taken in con nection with the accompanyingdrawings,

the simplicity of the device, as well as the advantages thereof will, itis thought, he perfectly'apparent to those skilled in the art to whichsuch invention appertains without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A rail joint including a chair having one of its longitudinal'edgesprovided with a vertical flange, the second edge provided with anangular rail-engaging flange, rails upon the chair, a spring including alongitudinalbody portion having angular ends which are arranged indepressions upon the inner face of the vertical flange, said angularends of the spring being inturned and provided with teeth, and the saidvertical flange having its inner face inclined with respect to thelongitudinal plane of the chair, rails upon the chair, a removable anglebar having a longitudinally extending tongue, thepouter edge of whichbeing beveled to engage with the inclined inner face of the verticalflange of the chair, the upper wall of the tongue being provided withtransverse teeth and the said teeth adapted to be engaged by the toothedends of the spring, and means for securing the rails to the angularplate of the chair.

2. In a rail joint, a chair upon which the railsrest, said chair havingone of its longitudinal edges formed with an angular flange which isreceived within the fishing spaces of the rails, lugs upon the flangeengaging in the bolt openings of the rails, the second longitudinal edgeof the chair being fornizd with a vertical flange which is inclined fromone end of the chair to the other end thereof, the chair having alongitudinal channel extending from the said vertical flange, the lowerwall of the channel being provided with spaced substantiallybayonetshaped slots, a flat spring member having angular ends adapted tobe arranged within the bayonet slots and to be received within thedepressions provided upon the inner face of the vertical flange, awedge-plate filling the channel and closing the outer and longitudinalportions of the bayonet slots, a removable angle bar formed with thewedge plate and having its lower horizontal portion provided withtransverse teeth and its.

outer portionsdove-tailed and integral with a longitudinal tongue toengage. with the vertical flange and the longitudinal edges of the rail,and means for compressing the ends of the spring member to permit oftheinsertion of the rails and angle bar upon the chair, the end of saidspring member being provided with lateral extensions provided with teethwhich are adapted to engage between the teeth of the angle bar'when thespring is permitted to expand.

3. The combination with rails having the underfaces of their headschanneled, of a joint chair for the rail ends including a base having alateral flange received within the fishing spaces of the rails and whichhas its upper edge angular and engaged within the channels in the headsof the rail, said chair having its opposite longitudinal edge providedwith a vertical flange, the inner wall of which being inclined from oneend of the chair to the other end thereof, an angle bar having a beveledlower edge adapted to engage with the inclined inner face of thevertical flange, a spring member having angular arms arranged indepressions in the vertical flange of the chair, said ends of thesprings being provided with lateral extensions having their lowerportions formed with teeth which are adapted to engage between the teethof the angle bar.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE EDIOK. Witnesses:

CHAS. HEWITT, T. L. MCSPADDEN.

Joples of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington,'D. C."

